Officials' indifference costs Valaichenai poor Samurdhi houses

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 December 2003, 14:35 GMT]
Due to negligence of officials attached to the Valaichenai district secretariat six prospective families in Koralaipattu, Valaichenai in Batticaloa district, lost the opportunity to own houses under the housing lottery scheme run by the Samurdhi Ministry, sources said.

Every month Samurdhi Ministry distributes 150 houses with an estimated value of Rs 150,000 each using a lottery scheme on a list of families selected by district Secretariat Officials. Three families in Valaichenai district benefit monthly from this arrangement.

However, the last two months, due to incomplete information on the Samudri families sent by the Valaichenai Secretariat officials to the lottery, Valaichenai families were not included in the lotteries for these months. The six houses that were to be given to Valaichenai families were distributed to families from other districts, according to lottery officials.

Civil society sources and Valaichenai residents point out that Samudri Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner attached to the Valaichenai Secretariat, and the District Secretary were negligent in executing their duties.

The affected families also said that if the officials continue to show apathy on their plight they will not allow money deducted from their allowance towards the lottery.

Samudhri, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry created by the last Peoples Alliance (PA) government to assist Sri Lanka's poor families continues to function under the present United National Front (UNF) government.